Agenda and minutes

Resolved – That Councillor David Renard be chair for this meeting of the Panel.

The Chair reminded Members of the need to declare any known interests in any matters to be considered at the meeting.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 27^th March 2017.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 27^th March 2017 be confirmed as a correct record.

Written responses to questions submitted in advance were tabled at the meeting and it was noted that responses had been emailed to the questioners.  There were no further questions asked at the meeting.

Councillor Fionuala Foley, the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and School Attainment, and the Head of Education, submitted a joint report seeking the Cabinet Panel’s agreement to lowering the age range at Westrop Primary School from 4 to 11 years to 2 to 11 years in order to create a maintained nursery from September 2017. The report set out the results of the consultation process held in early 2017 on the proposal to lower the age range and captured the responses received by the local community. It was noted that the report was necessary to enable the Local Authority to notify the Department of Education of change in age range at Westrop Primary School.

Councillor Foley introduced the report, summarising the background to the proposal and also explaining to the Panel the detail of the response to the consultation on the proposal.

In reaching its decision, the Cabinet Panel confirmed that it -

·         had carefully considered the joint report and the representations made at the meeting by Council Officers along with the representations made at public question time.

·         was satisfied that

o   it had the necessary information in order to make the decision referred to above,

o   the Statutory Notice complied with the statutory requirements,

o   the statutory consultation was carried out properly prior to the publication of the Notice, and

o   the Notice did not relate to any other published proposal.

·         had carefully considered the factors to be considered by the decision makers, as set out in the statutory guidance from the Department for Education in April 2016, “Making ‘prescribed alterations’ to maintained schools”.

The Cabinet Panel’s decision was to approve the proposals as set out in the statutory notice to:

1.    lower the age range of Westrop Primary School to include 2, 3 and 4 year olds to create a maintained nursery provision opening in September 2017.

The reasons for the decision are as follows:

Education standards and diversity of provision

The Cabinet Panel believed that the Local Authority was responding to the Government’s wish to see a dynamic system in which the best schools are able to expand and spread their ethos and success. Westrop Primary School was rated by in January 2017 by Ofsted as a good school.

The proposal to lower the age range at Westrop Primary School has been developed to respond to the Childcare Act 2016, which places a duty on LAs to secure 30 hours of free childcare for working families with 3 and 4 year olds from September 2017.

In addition, it is recognised by Ofsted that educational outcomes are improved by having a qualified early years’ teacher in the provision. This proposal would offer families in Highworth the opportunity to attend a maintained early years setting, open with flexible hours. The proposal would increase the range in types of provision as the community does not have access to a school led early years facility in Highworth.

The Panel noted that January 2017 Ofsted inspection of Westrop Primary School recognised that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.